Clean Energy

This section focuses on two highly integrated subsectors of Clean Energy—renewable energy and energy efficiency—which have the most employment
in San Diego’s Clean Energy sector. Eleven occupations within this sector were selected for in-depth analysis due to their high levels of projected growth,
employment opportunities and training potential.

CLEAN ENERGY FIRMS BY SUBSECTOR

Despite attention directed toward the Renewable Energy subsector (promoting the installation of solar panels and alternative electrical sources
throughout San Diego County), more than 66 percent of companies surveyed operate in the Energy Efficiency subsector and there are significantly
more employment opportunities for individuals in this subsector than in the Renewable Energy subsector. "Other" work includes alternative transportation, greenhouse gas emissions accounting and more.

CLEAN ENERGY FIRMS BY RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

While San Diego has a growing wind energy subsector, there are very few positions for wind turbine or blade repair technicians. Of the 290 employers
surveyed, only two reported employing wind turbine or blade technicians. More than four-fifths (85.7 percent) of employers reported using solar or concentrating
solar power (CSP) as their firm’s primary clean technology.
The small percentage of firms associated with wind power technology is largely reflective of the relatively low-installed capacity and estimated wind resource
potential for San Diego County. Based on this data, it is unlikely that wind technician jobs will be a major source of employment in San Diego.
Survey respondents were allowed to indicate more than one primary activity; hence the percentages add up to more than 100.

RENEWABLE ENERGY FIRMS' BUSINESS FOCUS

Of the companies involved in the Renewable Energy subsector, installation firms make up the largest segment of
respondents (37.6 percent), followed closely by construction companies (33.8 percent) and sales firms (14.5 percent).

ENERGY EFFICIENT SUBSECTOR FIRMS' MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES

In addition to understanding the activities prominent in Renewable Energy firms, workers must be familiar with the types of materials and technologies
they work with. For firms in the Energy Efficiency subsector, knowledge of materials and technologies available to reduce energy consumption is highly valued
in workers.
In addition to these activities, materials and technologies, employers noted that the Clean Energy sector-specific skills they were looking for in job applicants
were more connected to awareness and knowledge of industry-specific policies and programs. Workers who can explain rebate programs, discuss and calculate
potential energy savings, and generally describe why the technology is not risky for consumers are highly valued because they can often generate more business
for the employer. As a result, sales occupations are increasingly in demand and often difficult to fill, making them a priority occupation to study.
Survey respondents were allowed to indicate more than one primary activity; hence the percentages add up to more than 100.

EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS OF 12-MONTH EMPLOYMENT GROWTH, 2014-2015

Based on survey and interview responses, employers expected all 11 occupations to grow from 2014 to 2015 with the exception of electricians. This may
be due to seasonal changes or, as part of the construction trade, electrician positions may still be recovering from the Great Recession (2007-2009). However, based
on historical data and industry trends, all 11 Clean Energy occupations are projected to grow in the long-term.

PROJECTED JOB OPENINGS BY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE, 2014-2015

Employers will have similar demand for the number of entry-level and non-entry-level jobs, but the most job openings by the end of 2015 will come from positions
that require less than an associate degree.

PERCENT OF EMPLOYERS WITH DIFFICULTY IN FINDING QUALIFIED JOB APPLICANTS

Clean Energy employers expect strong employment growth from 2014 to 2015, and face little difficulty in finding qualified workers to fill job openings,
creating an employers’ market and allowing employers to be particular with their employee selection. Sixty-five percent of San Diego Clean Energy firms report
no difficulty in hiring qualified job candidates—a far larger percent compared with 30 to 40 percent of firms in other industries that typically report difficulty
in finding qualified applicants. This suggests that presently, there is an ample supply of well-trained workers in San Diego County to fulfill growing employer demand.

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, 2007-2014

Because a significant portion of Clean Energy jobs are traditionally trade-related professions, the severe decline in construction employment as a result
of the Great Recession (2007–2009) helps explain the high percentage of employers with no difficulty in hiring qualified candidates. The construction industry in
San Diego lost nearly 35,000 jobs between 2007 and 2011. Despite rebounding over the past several years, construction employment is still down approximately 24,500
jobs or 22.3 percent since before the recession.
This suggests that there are still tens of thousands of unemployed individuals already trained for and experienced with similar skills needed in the Clean Energy
sector, which contributes to the employers’ market and selectivity of new employees. This raises the issue of newly-trained workers in construction trades having
to compete with experienced workers who lost their jobs during the recession. Given the competition in the marketplace, training providers need to train beyond
the minimum requirements of these occupations and ensure that their trainees have sufficient “differentiators” in their skill sets to increase their chances of
securing a job when training is complete. Employers reported that demonstrated technical ability was a key differentiator in job applicants. To demonstrate their
technical abilities, job seekers need some prior work experience directly in the field. Approximately 53 percent of employers require previous job experience for
the 11 occupations studied and nearly 39.8 percent prefer it.

EMPLOYERS THAT REQUIRE PREVIOUS JOB EXPERIENCE

For each of the 11 Clean Energy occupations, the percent of employers that require previous experience vary by occupation; however, most employers expect
job applicants for traditional trade occupations such as electricians and plumbers to have prior work experience.
Another way to demonstrate technical proficiency is by obtaining a professional license or certification. While the type of licensure or certification is specific
to each occupation, 32.2 percent of employers reported, overall, that they were a requirement for the 11 occupations and 33.1 percent of employers reported that
they were preferred.

LICENSES/CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS OF EMPLOYERS

For each occupation studied, at least 31 percent of employers indicated that they require or prefer a certification in order to consider a worker "qualified." Job seekers who obtain these certifications are highly competitive in the job market.

EMPLOYERS WITH DIFFICULTY IN FINDING APPLICANTS WITH STRONG SOFT SKILLS

In addition to required experience, technical skills and licensures, candidates for Clean Energy jobs can differentiate themselves in the competitive
labor market by possessing the non-technical or soft skills that employers find valuable. While most employers did not have difficulty in finding technically-skilled
job applicants, they did report difficulty in finding applicants with soft skills, particularly problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
The importance of soft or non-technical skills must be emphasized for job seekers in the Clean Energy sector. In executive interviews, employers reported less
need for skills specific to the position but greater importance for flexibility across job types, ability to transfer skills to different jobs and aptitude to
learn news skills quickly

EMPLOYERS WITH DIFFICULTY FINDING QUALIFIED APPLICANTS BY OCCUPATION

In addition to identifying job gaps, analyzing employer difficulty in hiring for specific occupations helps determine potential skills gaps that need to
be addressed by workforce training programs. If the region produces a surplus of candidates for a certain occupation, but employers continue having difficulty
filling those positions, then there is a potential skills gap in the programs. This issue needs to be addressed by updating educational and training program curriculum
to meet employers’ technical needs.
Clean Energy employers generally do not have difficulty finding qualified workers; however, employers did report difficulty in hiring for specific occupations.
Employers have the most difficulty finding qualified applicants for occupations related to the Renewable Energy subsector: solar water heater installers, solar
photovoltaic installers and photovoltaic designers. These are occupations that have emerged due to high demand of Clean Energy services and products.
Based on supply gaps and hiring difficulties, solar photovoltaic installers appear to be the occupation that the workforce development system can focus training
on. Not only is this occupation one of the top five occupations with supply gaps, 50 percent of employers reported having difficulty in filling this position.
Another occupation to note is solar water heater installers. Although the demand for solar water heater installers appears low, this occupation has the highest
percentage of employers (60 percent) reporting at least some difficulty in filling this position. This implies that solar water heater installers are highly
specialized and require skill sets that employers find difficult to obtain.

2014-2015 PROJECTED OPENINGS

In 2013, San Diego County had 3,181 establishments and 28,597 workers in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Between 2014 and 2015, employers expect an 11.5 percent growth in employment (3,285 net new jobs) and there will also be an additional 2,897 replacement jobs open due to employee retirements or other forms of worker attrition.

JOB GROWTH3,285

+

REPLACEMENT JOBS2,897

=

TOTAL OPENINGS6,182

TOP 5 OCCUPATIONS WITH SUPPLY GAPS i

Job gaps in the Clean Energy sector are analyzed, where a gap is created when the number of trained workers produced by the region’s educational institutions
does not match the number of available job openings. Comparing employer demand with worker supply helps identify training gaps that can be filled with workforce development.